RE: Two CLK GTRs Fall Under The Hammer

RE: Two CLK GTRs Fall Under The Hammer

Author
Discussion

Miguel

1,030 posts

264 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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Google [bot] said:
flemke said:
chop off the roofs and flog the newborn roadsters to idiots.
I've got a CLK GTR Roadster and I'm not an idiot















No wait, I haven't and I am.
You're no idiot. You drive an MX5. biggrin

Miguel

1,030 posts

264 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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Pwig said:
Lets not forget the lovely 911 GT1 lick

Not enough cylinders. wink

Miguel

1,030 posts

264 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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The roadsters were all converted later, right? I only heard of CLK GTR roadsters long after the original coupes were out of production. Who converted them, and were they unsold cars that MB wanted to sell as roadsters later? The whole thing strikes me as an afterthought, which I believe it is.

Miguel

1,030 posts

264 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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GPT said:
Thanks for the link. I'd rather watch one of these tests done by Tiff than by anybody else.

Agent Orange

2,194 posts

245 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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Loved these from the moment I first saw them!

As Tiff says. The car isn't at home on the road but if you can afford a million pound car you can afford to hire a race track and there it is very much at home.

So is this the ulitimate track car? smile

iluvmercs

7,541 posts

226 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
flemke said:
It wasn't 13, and this was prior to '05.

Why is the CLK-GTR a truly horrible road car?
For starters, as you can see in the Needell video, just getting in is a major production. It makes getting into an F1 seem as easy as falling off a log.
Straight-cut gears: they do not belong in a road car. Ever. The noise is inherently unpleasant, very hard on the ear, and it overwhelms the experience.
The space inside is tiny. There isn't even a real passenger footwell; it's more a slot into which it's posible to jam two small feet.
Once you're on the move, the gear selector is fine, but getting the bloody thing into first, even when it's warmed up, can sometimes take 5-6 attempts. So you're sitting there at a red light, or a give-way, and you want to set off, but you can't, because you're farting around with the stupid paddles. As with the noise of the gearbox, this is not a problem during a race, but you're not racing.
Sure, the engine's got loads of power, and the vehicle has tremedous brip, as you would imagine. There is the small detail that, on public roads, you cannot come close ever to needing that power or that grip, but, but...
It's really no different from the flip side of a car that had been designed exclusively for the public roads - say a big, fat Audi - but which you've taken out of its habitat and onto a racing circuit. Sure, it is physically possible to operate the vehicle on the circuit, but in relation to proper racing cars it will be unavoidably awful.
Many thanks for that insight, flemke thumbup

Seeing as you've had first hand experience of this, may be you can also answer a question I've had, about these cars, for a very long time.
What's the purpose behind the spherical gear slector? Does it slides up and down from a Park, to a Neutral, Reverse and Drive function, as in Automatics/Automated Manuals?

Thanks again,

Darren

S3_Graham

12,830 posts

198 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
iluvmercs said:
flemke said:
It wasn't 13, and this was prior to '05.

Why is the CLK-GTR a truly horrible road car?
For starters, as you can see in the Needell video, just getting in is a major production. It makes getting into an F1 seem as easy as falling off a log.
Straight-cut gears: they do not belong in a road car. Ever. The noise is inherently unpleasant, very hard on the ear, and it overwhelms the experience.
The space inside is tiny. There isn't even a real passenger footwell; it's more a slot into which it's posible to jam two small feet.
Once you're on the move, the gear selector is fine, but getting the bloody thing into first, even when it's warmed up, can sometimes take 5-6 attempts. So you're sitting there at a red light, or a give-way, and you want to set off, but you can't, because you're farting around with the stupid paddles. As with the noise of the gearbox, this is not a problem during a race, but you're not racing.
Sure, the engine's got loads of power, and the vehicle has tremedous brip, as you would imagine. There is the small detail that, on public roads, you cannot come close ever to needing that power or that grip, but, but...
It's really no different from the flip side of a car that had been designed exclusively for the public roads - say a big, fat Audi - but which you've taken out of its habitat and onto a racing circuit. Sure, it is physically possible to operate the vehicle on the circuit, but in relation to proper racing cars it will be unavoidably awful.
Many thanks for that insight, flemke thumbup

Seeing as you've had first hand experience of this, may be you can also answer a question I've had, about these cars, for a very long time.
What's the purpose behind the spherical gear slector? Does it slides up and down from a Park, to a Neutral, Reverse and Drive function, as in Automatics/Automated Manuals?

Thanks again,

Darren
Can i be the first to say im gutted that they are crap......

its proper dream car material.... i guess its one of those ' never meet your idol' moments, Handy really as i dont have cash laying around!

Belfast Boy

855 posts

181 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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MrSpike said:
Belfast Boy said:
There is one of these on the top floor of a Car gallery (showroom) for either Renault or Peugeot in Bangkok on the Rama IX toll road on the right hand side as you head to the airport. next time I'm there _May I'll take some pics.
I'm going to have a look over there in the morning then!


did you find it???

GnuBee

1,272 posts

214 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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S3_Graham said:
Can i be the first to say im gutted that they are crap......

its proper dream car material.... i guess its one of those ' never meet your idol' moments, Handy really as i dont have cash laying around!
Only "crap" in the context of a useable road car...

The reality of the oft heard "it's a race car for the road" is that, as this car abley demonstrates, that's not what you really want.

I suspect that in it's proper environment it's very, very far from being crap

Gridl0k

1,058 posts

182 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
If that was the Sultan of Brunei who specced that interior (and c'mon, it's not particularly surprising if it was) then let me apparently be the first to say he is a prize tit with no taste, no sense of humility and far too much money, and also shame on you Mercedes. Tell the berk who asks you to paint the whole of the interior of one of your finest ever cars purple to take a running jump.

flemke

22,864 posts

236 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
GnuBee said:
S3_Graham said:
Can i be the first to say im gutted that they are crap......

its proper dream car material.... i guess its one of those ' never meet your idol' moments, Handy really as i dont have cash laying around!
Only "crap" in the context of a useable road car...

The reality of the oft heard "it's a race car for the road" is that, as this car abley demonstrates, that's not what you really want.

I suspect that in it's proper environment it's very, very far from being crap
Yes, that is quite so. The Brawn Formula One car on the public road would be diabolical, but it seems to work fairly well on a ciruit.


Eta: I've just remembered that I was driven in the racing version by Bernd Schneider, so can confirm that it does what it was designed to do.

Edited by flemke on Friday 25th September 11:02

flemke

22,864 posts

236 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
iluvmercs said:
What's the purpose behind the spherical gear slector? Does it slides up and down from a Park, to a Neutral, Reverse and Drive function, as in Automatics/Automated Manuals?
It's been quite a few years, and I cannot recall. I can find out for you, if you give me a bit of time.

andyc.

1,216 posts

192 months

Friday 25th September 2009
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You know ,if I brought cars with practicality in my mind,id have none of what I have.....Thats why id buy it ,along with debateably a far far worse/noisier unruly car,an XJR15....Id buy it simply because I like it!

CampDavid

9,145 posts

197 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
flemke said:
GnuBee said:
S3_Graham said:
Can i be the first to say im gutted that they are crap......

its proper dream car material.... i guess its one of those ' never meet your idol' moments, Handy really as i dont have cash laying around!
Only "crap" in the context of a useable road car...

The reality of the oft heard "it's a race car for the road" is that, as this car abley demonstrates, that's not what you really want.

I suspect that in it's proper environment it's very, very far from being crap
Yes, that is quite so. The Brawn Formula One car on the public road would be diabolical, but it seems to work fairly well on a ciruit.


Eta: I've just remembered that I was driven in the racing version by Bernd Schneider, so can confirm that it does what it was designed to do.

Edited by flemke on Friday 25th September 11:02
With that in mind, which is the one to have on a deserted day out at Spa? The McLaren or the Merc? Both would be awesome for living out the racing driver fantasy I guess

pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
These are very iconic machines.

And £1 million back in the late nineties !

Love it, hate that awful aubergine interior.

flemke

22,864 posts

236 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
CampDavid said:
flemke said:
GnuBee said:
S3_Graham said:
Can i be the first to say im gutted that they are crap......

its proper dream car material.... i guess its one of those ' never meet your idol' moments, Handy really as i dont have cash laying around!
Only "crap" in the context of a useable road car...

The reality of the oft heard "it's a race car for the road" is that, as this car abley demonstrates, that's not what you really want.

I suspect that in it's proper environment it's very, very far from being crap
Yes, that is quite so. The Brawn Formula One car on the public road would be diabolical, but it seems to work fairly well on a ciruit.


Eta: I've just remembered that I was driven in the racing version by Bernd Schneider, so can confirm that it does what it was designed to do.

Edited by flemke on Friday 25th September 11:02
With that in mind, which is the one to have on a deserted day out at Spa? The McLaren or the Merc? Both would be awesome for living out the racing driver fantasy I guess
On a circuit, I'd rather be in the Merc than in the F1 road car, and rather be in the F1 GTR than in the Merc.

Mike Rob

1,017 posts

190 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
flemke said:
On a circuit, I'd rather be in the Merc than in the F1 road car, and rather be in the F1 GTR than in the Merc.
So which is the best car you have ever driven that is the best for both? And you only get one choice smile

flemke

22,864 posts

236 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
Mike Rob said:
flemke said:
On a circuit, I'd rather be in the Merc than in the F1 road car, and rather be in the F1 GTR than in the Merc.
So which is the best car you have ever driven that is the best for both? And you only get one choice smile
The problem with answering that question is how to weight the circuit driving part v the road driving part, and within the latter what sort of road driving. A shorthand version of the question could be, "If you could only have one car...?", but then I'd be willing to ditch the circuit driving in favour of a better road car.
If I had to choose one for every sort of road driving (that is, one would have to live with it) and a lot of circuit driving, I guess it would have to be a 996 GT3 Club Sport, probably Gen 2, although, if I could only have one car in my life, there are many that I'd rather have than that, or any other, Porsche.
The circuit requirement in your question skews the answer to it. Road cars aren't really meant for circuits; racing cars are.

TheOrangePeril

778 posts

179 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
Who needs a Zonda...

Mike Rob

1,017 posts

190 months

Friday 25th September 2009
quotequote all
flemke said:
Mike Rob said:
flemke said:
On a circuit, I'd rather be in the Merc than in the F1 road car, and rather be in the F1 GTR than in the Merc.
So which is the best car you have ever driven that is the best for both? And you only get one choice smile
The problem with answering that question is how to weight the circuit driving part v the road driving part, and within the latter what sort of road driving. A shorthand version of the question could be, "If you could only have one car...?", but then I'd be willing to ditch the circuit driving in favour of a better road car.
If I had to choose one for every sort of road driving (that is, one would have to live with it) and a lot of circuit driving, I guess it would have to be a 996 GT3 Club Sport, probably Gen 2, although, if I could only have one car in my life, there are many that I'd rather have than that, or any other, Porsche.
The circuit requirement in your question skews the answer to it. Road cars aren't really meant for circuits; racing cars are.
Sounds fair to me.